Storm shelter

ABSTRACT

A storm shelter ( 20 ) is provided which includes a front wall ( 22 ), rear wall ( 24 ), and retractable side wall ( 28, 30 ) and top wall ( 26 ) assemblies, whereby the shelter to be easily deployed and thereafter stowed between a retracted storage condition and an expanded use condition. The front wall ( 22 ) is equipped with a door ( 38 ), which can be selectively locked or unlocked so as to allow opening of the door from the inside or outside of the shelter. The shelter ( 20 ) is particularly useful when installed in a basement, garage, residence, commercial or industrial building, school or other habitable area, and provides excellent safety and security.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is concerned with a storm shelter for protectingoccupants against violent weather such as hurricanes and tornados. Moreparticularly, it is concerned with a storm shelter which is selectivelyexpandable and retractable between a retracted or folded storageposition and an expanded use position. The preferred storm shelters ofthe invention are particularly suited for use in interior confinedareas, such as basements. In particularly preferred embodiments, thestorm shelter may be provided with armor which allows the storm shelterto be used as a safe room for protection against intruders.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Traditionally, persons seeking shelter from violent weather such astornados, hurricanes and the like sought protection in underground areassuch as shelters dug into the earth or basements. These traditionalstorm shelters used the surrounding earth and/or concrete walls andeither framed or concrete ceilings to protect the occupants from theconsequences of violent weather such as high winds, flying debris, andfalling or collapsing structures.

More recently, various designs for storm shelters have been developedeither as stand-alone shelters or which augment traditional basements orstorm shelters dug into the earth. Examples of these more recent designsfor storm shelters include those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,481,837,5,953,866, 6,085,475, 6,131,343, 6,385,920, 6,401,403, 6,401,409,D466,220, 6,948,281, 7,797,888, D640,390 and 8,176,692.

The desire for additional protection within a structure intended forhuman occupation is not limited to protection against inclement weather.There may also arise a need for protecting the occupants of structuresagainst intruders, such as those carrying firearms or other weaponswhich threaten the safety of occupants. So-called “safe rooms” have beenconstructed to provide such protection.

While both traditional and the aforementioned more recent designs forstorm shelters and so-called safe rooms provide improved protectionagainst violent weather and/or intruders, they suffer a common drawbackin that whether above or below ground, they occupy considerable spaceand/or require excavation or expensive construction.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a simplified, relatively lowcost storm shelter design which can be unobtrusively stored in aretracted or folded condition, but which can be readily opened to anexpanded use position to provide shelter on a moment's notice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the problems outlined above, andprovides a high-strength storm shelter, which can be readily movedbetween a retracted or folded storage position and an expanded useposition presenting an enclosed space. The shelter may be used in anindoor location such as a basement, or may be used in outdoor locations.The shelter includes a back wall, an opposed front wall, and a top wall.A pair of laterally spaced apart sidewall assemblies operablyinterconnect the back and front walls in order to permit selectivemovement of one of the front and back walls relative to the otherbetween a retracted storage position wherein the front and back wallsare relatively proximal to each other, and an expanded use positionwherein the front and back wall are relatively spaced from each other.Preferably, the back wall is designed to be stationary and to be affixedto a floor and/or wall, with the front wall, top wall, and said sidewallassemblies retractable relative to the back wall.

In preferred practice, the front wall is equipped with an openable doorand locking structure, and the sidewall assemblies are centrally hingedso as to retract or fold inwardly when the shelter is in its storageposition. Likewise, the top wall has a pair of panels hinged so that, asthe shelter is retracted, the top wall panels pivot to a retractedposition.

The shelter may be used in the event of anticipated violent weather, oralternately as a safe room. In the latter event, the components of theshelter may be formed of heavy duty armor metal. But, in any case, theshelters of the invention may be easily moved between the retracted andexpanded positions thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a storm shelter in accordance withthe invention, illustrating the shelter in its fully expanded, useconfiguration;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of storm shelter illustrated in FIG.1, viewing one sidewall and the rear wall of the shelter;

FIG. 3 is another bottom perspective view of the storm shelterillustrated in FIG. 1, viewing one sidewall and the front wall of theshelter;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the shelter in its retracted condition,viewing the inner face of the front wall of the shelter;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the shelter in its fully expanded, useposition, with the front entrance door being open;

FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the shelter illustrated in FIG. 5,and viewing the rear wall thereof;

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the shelter, shown in a partiallyexpanded position to depict the retractable, inwardly foldable sidewallsof the shelter;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary top view of the partially expanded shelterillustrated in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the shelter illustrated in FIGS. 7-8;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary rear perspective view of the shelter in itsfully retracted condition to illustrate the details of the foldable,retractable sidewalls;

FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of the shelter in its fullyretracted, storage position;

FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the fully retracted shelter illustrated inFIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a side view of the fully retracted shelter illustrated inFIGS. 10-11;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary, perspective, exploded view of the outer faceof the entrance door of the shelter, showing components of the lockingmechanism for the door; and

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary, perspective, exploded view of the inner faceof the entrance door of the shelter, and showing the locking mechanismfor the door.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Turning now to the drawings, a storm shelter 20 is illustrated in FIGS.1-3 in its fully expanded, use position. Generally speaking, the shelter20 includes a front wall 22, an opposed rear wall 24, a top wallassembly 26, and a pair of laterally spaced apart sidewall assemblies 28and 30. As illustrated, in the expanded or use position, the shelter 20provides an internal space or region 32 of sufficient size to hold andprotect several individuals.

In more detail, the front wall 22 includes a segmented outer panel 34having a central doorway 36 with a swingable door 38 mounted therein onan upright, heavy duty piano hinge 40. As shown in FIG. 5, for example,the outer panel 34 may include outboard outer panel sections 34 a and anintermediate outer panel section 34 b located above doorway 36. As bestillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the panel 34 is supported on an internalframe including a bottom rail 42 and a pair of upright, bolted together,vertical reinforcements 44 and 46 respectively located on opposite sidesof doorway 36, and a segmented top panel 48 having the segments thereofinterconnected by means of inner and outer connector plates 50, and withthe outboard segments equipped with slots 51. The bottom rail 42 may bemounted by bolts 41 extending through upright slots 43 through the outerpanel 34 and plates 45 secured to the bottom rail 42 and held by nuts 47whereby the bottom rail 42 may be adjusted relative to the outer panel34 to accommodate a slope or uneven surface in a supporting surface. Thefront wall 22 also has, adjacent each lateral end thereof, an inner,rearwardly and transversely extending box beams 52, and an outer,rearwardly and transversely extending side marginal plate 54; a wheel 56is mounted to each marginal plate 54 for purposes to be described. Theforward edge of top panel 48 is equipped with an elongated, upstandingabutment plate 58, whereas the rearward edge thereof has a laterallyextending tension bar 59 which provides reinforcement and aids theconnector plates 50 in retaining the segments of the top panel 48 in aconnected, side-by-side position.

The rear wall 24 is in opposition to front wall 24 and includes animperforate, segmented rear panel 60 interconnected by means of aninternal, interconnected grid of vertically and horizontally extendingreinforcements 62 and 64. The panel 60 also has a pair of forwardlyextending side marginal plates 66, and a forwardly extending top panel68. An abutment plate 70 is secured to the upper margin of panel 60, asshown. The bottom edges of the panel 60 and marginal plates 66 haveinterconnected, inwardly extending floor connection flanges 72, whichreceive connectors 74. As explained below, the flanges 72 effectivelyform the connection base for the shelter 20.

Top wall assembly 26 is made up of a pair of laterally extending, frontand rear top panels 76 and 78 interconnected by means of an elongatedpiano hinge 80. A pair of identical, elongated links 82 are respectivelypivoted to each of the side marginal plates 66 and the adjacent end ofpiano hinge 80. The forward end of panel 76 has an elongated, outwardlyextending, generally L-shaped leg 84, and similarly the rearward edge ofpanel 78 is equipped with an elongated, rearwardly extending, L-shapedleg 86. As explained in more detail below, when the shelter 20 isexpanded from its retracted to its expanded, use position, the top wallassembly 28 extends outwardly by virtue of the pivoting of the links 82and the action of piano hinge 80, in order to cover the internal spaceor region 32.

The sidewall assemblies 28 and 30 are mirror images of each other, andthus only a single such assembly need be described. In particular, thesidewall assembly 28 includes upright front and rear panels 88 and 90interconnected by means of a vertically extending central piano hinge92. The forward edge of panel 88 is pivotally connected to the adjacentbox beam 52 by means of upright piano hinge 94; likewise, the rear edgeof panel 90 is pivotally connected to the endmost vertical reinforcement62 via hinge 96. In order to maintain the sidewalls in the extended useposition thereof, the interior surface of the panels 88, 90 are equippedwith generally U-shaped clips 97, which receive cross-braces 97 a, whichextends substantially the full distance between the front and rear walls22, 24 (FIG. 2).

The door 38 is provided with a locking arrangement, which allows thedoor to be opened from either the inside or the outside of the shelter.Specifically, the door 38 has a handle 98 and three vertically spacedapart substantially L-shaped slots 100. The interior of the door hasthree identical locking assemblies 102. Each such assembly includes anelongated, tubular guide 104, a spaced abutment plate 106, and anL-shaped locking member 108 equipped with an outwardly extendingoperator rod 110. Additionally, a vertical locking plate 112 is providedadjacent doorway 36 and has three vertically spaced apart, strategicallylocated locking apertures 114 therethrough. In order to lock 38 when theshelter is in its expanded use configuration, each of the lockingmembers 108 are manipulated individually, to first align the operatorrod 110 thereof with a corresponding slot 100, followed by rotation ofthe member 108 to align the end thereof with the adjacent guide 104.Thereupon, the member 108 is rotated with the operator rod 110 withinthe slot 100, and the member 108 is then axially slid along the lengthof the slot to cause the member 108 to pass through guide 104 and intothe adjacent locking aperture 114. In the final step, the member 108 isrotated downwardly to come into close adjacency with the abutment plate106. In this condition, the door 38 is firmly locked and inadvertentmovement of the member 108 is prevented by means of the plate 106. Ascan be appreciated, the door 38 may be opened by reversing thisprocedure from inside the shelter 20. However, the door may also beopened by manipulation of the operator rods 110 from the exterior of theshelter. In the event that the shelter 20 is to be used as a safe room,the locking members 108 may be manipulated in the same fashion to lockdoor 38, except that the rods 110 remain inside the enclosure so that anintruder does not have the ability to open door 38.

In the use of storm shelter 20, the unit is first securely attached to aconcrete or similar floor, such as the floor 116 illustrated in FIG. 1,through use of the connectors 74 passed through the connection baseafforded by the flanges 72. The shelter may be retracted or expanded, asdesired by the user. In the expanded condition (FIGS. 1-3 and 5-6), thefront wall 22 is fully separated from the rear wall 24; the sidewallassemblies 28 and 30 are likewise fully extended; and the top wallassembly is fully extended. In more detail, as the front wall 22 isshifted forwardly, it rolls on the wheels 56 over the floor surface, andthe panels 88 and 90 of the sidewall assemblies move from a retractedposition to a fully extended position by appropriate pivoting of thehinges 92-96. Furthermore, during this sequence, the links 82 pivot thetop wall panels 76 and 78 through the medium of the central hinge 80until the respective legs 84 and 86 come into contact respectively withthe top panels 48 and 68. In this manner, interior space or region 32 ofthe shelter is formed and is completely surrounded by the structure ofthe shelter. The occupants can then enter the shelter through doorway 36and close and lock the door 38, as previously described using thelocking assemblies 102. In order to ensure that the shelter ismaintained in its expanded position, cross-braces 97 a are placed withinthe sidewall clips 97.

When the occupants desire to leave the shelter 20, the lockingassemblies 102 are released and the door 38 is opened. Thereupon, tostore the storm shelter 20 in a minimized volume condition, the frontwall 22 can be pushed toward rear wall 24. As this occurs, the sidewallassemblies 28 and 30 fold together and top wall assembly 26simultaneously retracts. Specifically, the front and rear top panels 76and 78 pivot together through the medium of central hinge 80 and links82. The latter being accommodated by the slots 51. Simultaneously, thesidewall assembly panels 88 and 90 retract by folding inwardly aroundthe hinges 92-96. In the fully retracted condition of the shelter 20(FIGS. 10-13), the side marginal plates 54 of the front wall 22 form theouter margin of the shelter, with the rear wall marginal plates 66inboard thereof. The L-shaped legs 84, 86 of the front and rear toppanels 76, 78 also come into engagement with the abutment plates 58 and70 (FIG. 13).

It will also be appreciated that an additional supporting connection canbe afforded the shelter 20 by connecting rear panel 60 to an uprightwall. This additional connection does not detract from the operabilityof the shelter 20 and is sometimes recommended in order to provide amaximum strength and security.

Additionally, it will be understood that the components of the shelter20 are preferably formed of high-strength metal, particularly if it isanticipated that the shelter will be used as a safe room. If furtherprotection and security is desired, additional armor plates can beconnected to the structure or ballistic fabric such as Kevlar blanketscould be installed by the occupants on the interior of the front wall,sidewalls and top wall assembly. Even with heavy duty armor materials,the shelter can be readily expanded or retracted without difficulty.

I/We claim:
 1. A shelter comprising: a back wall; a front wall; a topwall; and a pair of laterally spaced apart sidewall assemblies operablyinterconnecting said back wall and front wall in order to permitselective movement of one of the front and back wall relative to theother, between a retracted storage position wherein the front and backwalls are relatively proximal to each other, and an expanded useposition wherein the front and back wall are relatively spaced from eachother, to define, with said top wall and said sidewall assemblies, anenclosed space.
 2. The shelter of claim 1, said front wall including anopenable door permitting access to an interior of the shelter when theshelter is in the expanded or retracted position thereof.
 3. The shelterof claim 1, including structure operable to secure said shelter to asupport surface.
 4. The shelter of claim 1, said front wall having apair of transverse, rearwardly extending side margins each supporting awheel to facilitate movement of the front wall towards and away from theback wall.
 5. The shelter of claim 4, said back wall having a pair oftransverse, forwardly extending side margins, said rearwardly extendingfront wall margins overlying said back wall side margins when saidshelter is in said retracted storage position.
 6. The shelter of claim1, each of said sidewall assemblies including a forward panel and arearward panel, said forward panel being pivotally coupled with saidfront wall and said rear panel pivotally coupled to said back wall, saidfront and rear panels being pivotally connected together, said forwardand rearward panels being in substantial alignment when said shelter isin said expanded use position, said forward and rearward panels beingpivoted towards each other when said shelter is in said retractedstorage position.
 7. The shelter of claim 6, including cross-bracestructure operable to maintain said forward and rearward panels in saidsubstantial alignment when the shelter is in said expanded use position.8. The shelter of claim 7, said cross-brace structure comprising agenerally U-shaped bracket secured to each of the inner faces of saidforward and rearward panels, and a rigid cross-bar received within saidchannels and spanning the pivotal connection between forward andrearward panels.
 9. The shelter of claim 1, said top wall assemblycomprising a pair of side-by-side front and rear panels, said frontpanel being pivotally connected to said front wall, said rear panelpivotally connected to said back wall, said front and rear panels beingpivotally interconnected for movement between an aligned condition whenthe shelter is in said expanded use position, and an upwardly extendedcondition when the shelter is said retracted storage position.
 10. Theshelter of claim 9, including an oblique pivot rod operatively connectedto the pivotal connection between said front and rear panels and saidback wall to facilitate movement of said top wall between said expandeduse position and said retracted storage position.
 11. The shelter ofclaim 1, said front wall including an openable door permitting access toan interior of the shelter, including a door locking assembly accessibleboth within said enclosed space and exteriorly of said shelter forselective locking and unlocking of said door.
 12. The shelter of claim11, said locking assembly comprising a slide lock operably supported onthe interior face of said door and including a shiftable locking memberengageable with a corresponding locking portion of the front wall, saidlocking member shiftable between an unlocked position out of engagementwith said locking portion and an extended position wherein said memberis engaged with said locking portion, there being a slot extendingthrough said door, and an operator secured to said locking memberextending through said door slot, whereby said locking member may beshifted between said unlocked position and said locked position bymanipulation of said operator exteriorly of the shelter.
 13. The shelterof claim 1, wherein the front wall includes an upright panel and abottom rail adjustably mounted to the upright panel.